Microsoft is now confident enough in Windows 7 that it today announced that the operating system will be available in time for the "holiday shopping season". Although Acer has leaked its intention to release a product using Windows 7 by October 23, this is the first confirmation from Microsoft that the operating system will ship this year.

"Microsoft is committed to ensuring that IT professionals and developers continue to have the platform and technologies to drive maximum value and business results. Getting the most out of IT investments is even more important in today’s economy," said Bill Veghte, Microsoft's senior vice president of the Windows Business. "With early RC testing and extensive partner feedback we’ve received, Windows 7 is tracking well for holiday availability."

The overall reception to Windows 7 through its beta and early RC stages has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, the reception to Windows 7 has been quite the opposite of its predecessor, Windows Vista, which was plagued with software and driver incompatibilities at launch. Given that Windows 7 builds upon the foundation laid down by Windows Vista which has had a few years to mature, many of those growing pains are long gone.

Windows 7 will be available in Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. According to Microsoft, over 75 percent of Windows 7 installations will come through OEMs and the majority of installations will be 64-bit.

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"Part of it is that your currency is 30% less valuable and your minimum wage is over twice that of the US leading to a higher cost of living."Which effects the cost of importing software how?You are also confused as to what the exchange rate means as an economic indicator...it doesn't mean that AUD is 30% "less valuable", on that basis, Italy and Japan would be super world powers with their excchange rate! It varies on how "good" an investment choice for foreign investors the counrty is perceived to be, low interest rates drive foreign dollars away, so exchange rate dips. We were nearly at parity a few months ago, but the economic downturn drove interesst rates down, reducing australia's value as a place to store currency."That and Australia is a very large country with a small population relative to that of the US and Europe. "Relevent perhaps if referring to the costs of developing nationwide infrastructure: roads, railways lines etc, but not to software distribution.

There are many things that may affect the price of a product or service, but ultimately you end up paying what the market decides something is worth. When it's not produced locally you end up paying a little extra in duties and taxes, shipping etc but at the end of the day, you pay the market rate.

In the UK (not sure how it compares to Oz) it often appears that we are being ripped off but when you take into account the other factors (especially in the high-street retail space) then you realise that there isn't much difference. In fact, often the profit/margins for the producer are reduced. When you take into account the extra transportation costs (like road taxes and fuel duties), possibly (not sure, but it wouldn't surprise me) higher wages for transport workers, higher cost of commercial and retail property (through local taxes and general property costs), higher wages that are paid (through minimum wage and because of higher income taxes) and then the final probably higher sales tax (almost everywhere has higher sales taxes than the USA) then the higher price is often not some sort of evil US conspiracy where they are ripping people off royally, but it usually has more to do with domestic financial decisions.

Or maybe it is the evil plottings going on in Gate's Towers where he strokes his cat that is sitting on his lap, laughing at Australia/UK/elsewhere whilst super models frolic in piles of $100 dollar bills.

If your currency is lower, so the pricing will be higher plain and simple. In the end its all about piracy, if they sell you a copy for 70% what you pay in the US, what stops Australians from reselling to other places in the world where the cost is more expensive?

"Italy and Japan would be super world powers with their excchange rate!" You understand Italy uses the EURO like 80% of Europe and therfore whatever argument you were trying to say falls right out the window becasue the exchange rate is pretty much 1 to 1 with GBP...

I think 7 will be ok but not something I will be installing. If given the option for it next time I buy a PC I will be getting 7 already on it but the RC uses 29% of my laptops 4Gb RAM while idle and the footprint is bigger on my HDD than vista and I don't really see much improvements... I got rid of my gadgets on vista and could probs get a skin to look like Windows7...

When you import from another country, the value of your currency compared to the source will affect the price. So, $100 here will have a different value in other countries. Since the software is NOT developed where you live, the price structure may not take the value of your currency into account(though in many cases it will, with reduced prices for certain markets).

If I import a car from Europe, not only is the cost of transporting the car going to be taken into account, but there is also the difference in currency(with the Euro being stronger). The European manufacturers KNOW this, and know it would result in lower sales due to higher prices, so you have manufacturing plants in the USA which will reduce the costs, and as a result, reduce the price to consumers.

The exchange rate is just one part of the reason for the higher prices, but just keep in mind that to buy Vista Home Premium, it is still $130ish over here for an OEM copy, which based on the exchange rate, would have a higher price tag where you live.